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Mike Conway is opting out of the IndyCar race at Fontan, saying he's not comfortable on high-speed ovals. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Mike Conway has seen enough of oval tracks in his IndyCar career and has stepped out of A.J. Foyt Racing's No. 14 car for this weekend's race at Auto Club Speedway--a high-speed two-mile oval--in Fontana, Calif.

Conway, a former race winner at the Long Beach, Calif., street race, has had nasty accidents two of the past three years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the one in 2010 when his wheels rode over the top of Ryan Hunter-Reay's in turn three. Conway's car, then owned by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, split. Conway suffered a season-ending back injury. This year, his car spun in front of Will Power in turn one, and the contact push Conway's Foyt-owned car vertically along the turn one wall. He was not injured.

Wade Cunningham will replace Conway in this weekend's race.

“I'm truly sorry for putting the team and our sponsors in a difficult position, but this is the hardest decision I have ever made in my racing career,” Conway said. “I've come to realize I'm not comfortable on the ovals and no longer wish to compete on them. I want to stress that I am not finished racing and to this end, I would love to continue with Foyt Racing, but that's something we need to discuss in the future.”

Cunningham, the 2005 Firestone Indy Lights champion who has three victories on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in the Firestone Freedom 100, made three IZOD IndyCar Series starts in 2011 and competed in his first Indianapolis 500 in May (started 26th and finished 31st; out with electrical issue) in an A.J. Foyt Racing car.

"I didn't get to do any racing at Indy and I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to race again," Cunningham said. "I'm pleased that I must have done something right in May to get the phone call.

"We start behind the eight ball because the whole field has tested in the last two weeks. We just have to bring ourselves up to speed one step at a time and really just make smart gains. You have to have realistic expectations when you show up like this at the last minute."

Cunningham received track time Sept. 13, with INDYCAR president of competition Beaux Barfield and IZOD IndyCar Series technical director Kevin Blanch observing.

"It's in everyone's best interest that (Cunningham) gets comfortable on the oval," Barfield said. "We have unlimited time today, so we'll watch him closely."